


Over and Beyond

by Aquilaaqua



Series: FTSOTP 'verse [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Ash is Red, Ash is a Champion, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:00:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23803498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquilaaqua/pseuds/Aquilaaqua
Summary: : Heiwa’s Pokemon League is officially on break. With the Mt. Harmony Conference and Millennium Tournament behind them, Red is long overdue a vacation. And what better place to visit Galar. He might not be able to participate in their Gym Challenge but it wouldn’t hurt to have a few unofficial battles for fun, right? (potential spoilers for current and future chapters of Facing the Shadows of the Past)Cross Post on FanFiction.Net
Relationships: Satoshi | Ash Ketchum & Satoshi no Pikachu | Ash Ketchum's Pikachu, ash ketchum & oc
Series: FTSOTP 'verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1714954
Kudos: 15





	1. Galar

“Galar?” Red hummed as he read through the pamphlet that Arata had given him. “Never heard of it before.”

“It’s up north and not far from Kalos.” Arata explained. They were lounging in Red’s hideout while the other Elite Four members were resting in their respective rooms. The Millennium Tournament had ended a week ago and the cleanup had been draining on everyone. The Gym Leaders had returned to their respective towns and cities days earlier and resume their off-season activities. The Elite Four and Red on the other hand had to finish up on the post tournament paperwork and ensure that all the participants, guest and other league officials got off the mountain safely before relaxing.

The whole tournament was an emotionally draining ordeal for Red as he had to confront his past and eventually reveal himself as Ash to his former friends. But on the bright side he had his Unovian and Kalosian friends behind him when he did. The group promised to keep in touch before they left and made Red promise not to drop off the grid without letting them know again.

Red will miss his friends and felt bad briefly that he was glad that they were leaving Heiwa. His relationship with Serena became awkward when he turned down her confession. As much as he liked Serena, he can never see her as anything more than his closest friend. They promised to remain as friends though, so he supposed some time apart will help them get over the awkwardness.

And so, Arata decided that their Champion needed a vacation.

“They have a Pokemon League.” Red noted in surprise. “Why didn’t they participate in the Millennium Tournament?”

Arata averted his eyes at that. “The committee in charge of the tournament could not reach an agreement with Chairman Rose on certain facilities for the stadium.”

Red raised an eyebrow in question. Arata flipped the pamphlet to a certain page. “Dynamaxing. Pokemon in Galar are capable of Dynamaxing if they are over a spot call a Power Spot. Their Gyms and League are built over them…though if I remember correctly, one of the gyms is not. Chairman Rose wanted to build an artificial Power Spot on Mt. Harmony so that the Galar Contestants can Dynamax their Pokemon. But the committee shut the idea down.”

“I can see why.” Red muttered as he read through the info on Dynamaxing. “Galarian participants will have an unfair advantage for having Pokemon that can become massive and increased stats.”

“That and Chairman Rose refused to divulge information about his plans or have a viable budget for the artificial Power Spot. It would have presumably taken up more than 40% of the tournament’s budget. And you know how Miranda is when it comes to League spending.”

Red nodded in understanding. Heiwa had contributed a huge cut to the tournament budget on top of hosting the tournament. Despite the economic downturn following the Team Dawn era, one good thing that came out of it was that Professor Darcy found many cures for Pokemon diseases in the process of finding a cure for the Dark Serum. Through this, Avaris was able to turn Heiwa into one of the largest pharmaceutical distributors to other regions and boost the economy greatly. Between Avaris’ efforts and Miranda, the Chairwoman in charge of the Heiwa League, having a tight control on the Pokemon League budget, they could afford to host the tournament.

“And even if Chairman Rose did somehow have a viable plan and budget, Avaris would make Miranda say no. There is no telling how the artificial Power Spot would have affected the crystals of Mt. Harmony, Crystal City and all the Pokemon living in the area. So Chairman Rose pulled out the Galar League when he realized he wouldn’t be getting his way.”

Red scrunched up his nose in disgust. “He couldn’t accept that the Galarian participants had to battle normally so he threw a fit and withdrew them from the tournament? That’s selfish.”

“That’s how Chairman Rose is. It’s no wonder why a lot of people outside Galar dislike him.” Arata sighed and then lowered his voice. “Just between you and me, he treats the Pokemon League like it’s a form of entertainment and cash cow. Avaris and I suspect that he wanted to show off the Pokemon Dynamax to boost Galar’s reputation and possibly sell the artificial Power Spots to other regions. But luckily for us, Professor Magnolia of Galar was opposed to the idea too and the rest of the League Competition Committee were willing to listen to a professor over a businessman.”

“You don’t have the best impression of Chairman Rose.” Red noticed.

Arata sighed again and slumped down in his seat. “About six months after we defeated Team Dawn and I just became the Champion, Avaris invited me to join him on a diplomatic visit to Galar and I agreed. It was both the best and worst decision I ever made.”

“How so?”

Arata flicked his eyes around to make sure that no one was eavesdropping first before answering, “Before I explain, there is a reason why Avaris, Miranda and I make sure to minimize all interaction with the Galar League and keep the Gym Leaders and Elite Four away from Galar. Bear in mind that we were fresh off defeating Team Dawn and I was still very paranoid. But in every interaction I witnessed between Chairman Rose and Leon, the Galarian Champion, it strongly resembled the way Solaris used to treat mom before he revealed himself to be Team Dawn’s leader. He is a narcissist and sociopath who relishes his control over Leon and Galar. When we got back to Heiwa, Avaris asked me to write a report on our visit Galar. So I mentioned Rose’s behavior and made a strong recommendation to keep away from him and his dealings. It was enough to convince Avaris to not allow Rose to expand his business reach to Heiwa.”

Red felt bile rising up his throat. He heard about the way Solaris would manipulate Professor Darcy and the way he treated her in the past. Professor Darcy always hesitated to talk about it, but she made sure that he understood what a sociopath is and how to identify them. But Arata had witnessed this kind of behavior since young and became shrewder in his interactions with strangers. So Red felt comfortable in trusting his friend’s judgement in the matter.

“Wait, if Chairman Rose is that bad, why are you suggesting that I go to Galar?”

“Leon and the Gym Leaders aren’t so bad when you get to know them. I even keep in touch with some of them. It’s only unfortunate they have a bad boss.” Arata shrugged.

“Galar is also a good exploration location and have unique Pokemon that is native to that region. They have places call Wild Areas where you can find rare and powerful Pokemon. You’ll have fun exploring those areas, and I wouldn’t be surprise if you have new additions to your roster when you get back. And you can challenge the gyms in unofficial matches for fun since you technically can’t participate in the Gym Challenge and it’s off season for them too. Leon won’t turn down the opportunity to battle you either if you ask but make it clear that you refuse to turn it into a public exhibition match. I’ll call him and give him a heads up if you do decide to go. And as long as you stay incognito, you won’t pop up on Rose’s radar. If you do, turn down everything that he offers, including publicized matches. He always turns them into propaganda for Galar’s Pokemon League. Make it clear that you are on leave.”

He tilted his head in thought then grinned. “I think that covers all of it. But if you do find yourself in a sticky situation with Rose, just call me or talk to Leon.”

“Ok.” Red nodded, becoming more convinced to visit the new region. “How good is Leon by the way?”

“Very good. He and I became our regions’ Champion around the same time but he managed to remain in that position for so long.” Which was impressive if Red thought about it. League Champions usually can retain their titles for an average 5 years and sometimes longer if they are careful, baring exceptions like Hoenn. Steven and Wallace have a weird rivalry for the position that the title changed hands between them so many times and many people gave up on keeping track on who is the Champion at the moment. For Leon to retain his title for 8 years is impressive.

“We didn’t get a chance to battle since most of my Pokemon were still recovering from fighting Solaris and battling everyone to become the Champion but I saw his exhibition match with another Gym Leader, Raihan. And that was also the first time I witness Dynamax. If you thought Mega Evolution was impressive, you’ll be blown away by Dynamax.” Arata continued. “And if you ask Professor Magnolia _politely_ , she might give you a Dynamax band for you to Dynamax your pokemon.”

“Hm.” Red was now convinced to go on a vacation at Galar. But still, “Are you sure it’s a good time for me to go on vacation away from Heiwa? We just finished the Millennium Tournament and probably have a lot of things to do…”

“Not as much as you think. We finished most of our duties before the tournament and within this week, so we can handle it. And we are planning on rotating vacation days so there’ll at least be someone in the office each week. I’ll be going to Kalos with Reika, Maddie and mom next week. I think Daimen is planning on Sinnoh the week after that.”

That was enough for him. “Alright, I’ll go to Galar.”

Arata beamed at that. “Great. I’ll call Leon and make the arrangements for the trip there.”

* * *

Two days later, Red found himself and Pikachu on a plane to Wyndon. Taking Arata’s advice, he only brought Pikachu to make room for new pokemon. Muraku had volunteered to watch over his Pokemon and send them over if needed. For the vacation, he had gotten a new outfit. He was wearing a gray unzipped hoodie with a black shirt underneath. He also got charcoal black waterproof pants and matching shoes and waterproof bag. To top it all off, he had a new red cap with orange, blue, black, and white stripes across, each representing one member of the Elite Four.

“Isn’t this exciting Pikachu? It’s been too long since we traveled in a new region.” Red grinned at his trusty companion.

“Pikachu. Pika Pika.”

“Yeah, I wish that Anabel could join us too. But she’s busy with the move to Heiwa.” Red sighed. The lilac haired Frontier Brain had volunteered to move to Heiwa and set up the Heiwa branch of the Battle Frontier after the Millennium Tournament, which meant that she couldn’t join him in Galar. But they promised to call each other when they can.

He pulled up the Galar map on his WristCom with Pikachu looking over his shoulder. “According to the map and what Arata said, we can take the train all the way to Wedgehurst and drop by the Pokemon Research Center to get a Galarian Pokedex. Then we can go to the Wild Area.”

“Pika.” Pikachu nodded in agreement with the plan.

Shutting down his WristCom, he exchanged grins with his partner and fist pumped. “Our vacation starts now! Galar! Here we come!”

“Pikachu!”


	2. Professor Magnolia & Sonia

It wasn’t hard to find the train station and buy a train pass for the whole region. Once they got on the train, they were off to Wedgehurst. There were some people in their car with their pokemon out, some recognizable and others not. The same can be said for outside, Pokemon in the sky, frolicking in the fields, swimming through the ponds. Red recognized most of them from his past travels but not some of them, and he could spot a few regional variants. He remembered Arata telling him that unlike the Alolan regional variants, some Galarian variants Pokemon can evolve into completely different Pokemon. And some Pokemon that were thought to be incapable of evolving being able to in the Galarian forms.

“Pokemon are awesome. There are many mysteries about them. Won’t it be fun to discover them all?” He whispered to Pikachu who nodded, the same awe on its trainer’s face reflected on its own.

“Excuse me, is this seat free?”

Red and Pikachu looked up and Red quickly waved over at the opposite seat to the elderly lady who asked while Pikachu hopped back on its trainer’s shoulder. “Yes, it’s free.”

“Thank you, young man.” The elderly lady sat down and hooked her umbrella on the arm rest. “You are not from Galar, are you?”

“No Ma’am, I’m from Heiwa.”

“Oh?” The lady raised an eyebrow. “Then I presume you’ve watched the Millennium Tournament?”

“You could say that.” Red gave her a slight smile.

The lady gave a disappointed sigh. “A pity that Chairman Rose is unable to come into an agreement with the League Committee for the Galar League’s participation. Oh where are my manners, I am Opal.”

“I’m Red. And this is my buddy, Pikachu.”

“Pikachu.”

There was a mischievous twinkle in Opal’s eyes. “Forgive me for saying this, but your name sounds familiar…”

“Red is not a common name in Heiwa. But it is not rare in Kanto. I’m originally from Pallet Town.” Red explained firmly, trying to deflect Opal’s line of direction. “You probably heard someone with that name from there.”

Opal eyed him critically for a moment and burst out in crackling laughter. “I suppose you are right. Tell me young man, where are you headed?”

“To Wedgehurst. We’re going to see Professor Magnolia about getting a Pokedex.”

“A wise course of action, especially since you barely know any of the native pokemon.” Opal tilted her head as the train came to a stop. She offered Red a warm smile and picked up her umbrella. “Thank you for the entertaining conversation. I hope that you give me a good battle when you come by Ballonlea and live up to what Leon said about you.”

Red and Pikachu were gobsmack by her last sentence. But before he could question her, Opal was off the train, her crackling laugh echoing in the spot where she sat.

“Hey Pikachu, do you think that she is a Gym Leader?” Red slowly asked his best friend who had an equally perplexed look. Neither knew what to say, but Red resolved to ask Leon when he met up with him tomorrow.

To pass time for the rest of the train ride, Red mentally ran over Arata’s parting instructions before he boarded the plane.

  1. Stay out of trouble
  2. Never let Leon direct him anywhere (he is bad in directions, keep a map on hand at all times)
  3. Drop in a message in the Heiwa Elite Four Group Chat every day (the same applies to the Elite Four too)
  4. Don’t draw attention to himself.



The first and last parts might be a little trickier considering his track record…and Leon probably told the Gym Leaders he was coming…hopefully he didn’t tell Chairman Rose too. Arata might have warned him not to, but considering that he told his Gym Leaders, Red wasn’t holding his breath.

“So much for staying incognito.” He muttered under his breath. Oh well, he’ll deal with if it comes to it. For now, he’ll follow Pikachu’s example and take a nap while waiting for the train to arrive at Wedgehurst.

* * *

Over at the Pokemon Research Center, Professor Magnolia read through the email she received from her colleague over at Heiwa informing her of Red’s visitation to the region. In the email, Professor Darcy informed her that Red’s visit was strictly a holiday for him and if possible, not let the public know. Professor Magnolia smiled slightly and replied that she will do her best.

“Hey Grand! I got to go to the train station for a moment!” Her granddaughter Sonia suddenly rushed out of the kitchen, grabbing her handbag with her Yamper on her heels. But Professor Magnolia held up her hands to stop her.

“Slow down, what’s at the train station?”

“It’s Leon. He just suddenly popped up there. I have to get to him before he gets lost again…I wonder why he’s here though.”

“I might have an idea on that.”

Professor Magnolia did not respond to Sonia’s questioning look. She waved her on. “Go and get him before he finds himself at Route 2.”

“R-right! Come on Yamper!” Sonia bolted out the door with Yamper following her.

“Does Leon know that Red is in Galar?” Professor Magnolia wondered to herself. “Arata probably informed him…But Leon’s presence always brings crowds. How is Red going to stay unnoticed?”

* * *

By the time Red’s train came to a stop, a crowd had formed at the train station. Red watched the people with dread and wondered if his cover was blown. Pikachu sighed on his shoulder. Red tugged down his hat and hopefully he wouldn’t be recognized with his new look and hat obstructing his face.

But as he got off the train, he realized something, the crowd was following someone else. Another Champion to be precise, and his Charizard, doing his signature pose.

“Greetings, people! I’m back!”

The crowd cheered and kids jumped up to get his attention.

“Will you teach us how to battle?”

Leon gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry, I am only here to see Professor Magnolia and visit my family. But I’ll see about teaching you guys next time. Now, I’ll be on my way…”

“Hold it right there!” A lady probably around Leon’s age rushed over to him, a dog like Pokemon stopping beside her. If Red had to guess, he would say it is a Normal Type or Electric Type.

“Ah Sonia.” Leon greeted her cheerfully. “Come to escort me to the Research Center?”

“You bet your hat!” Sonia, the lady, snapped back. She folded her arms in front of her accusingly. “You weren’t about to try to find your way there aren’t you?”

Leon’s sheepish grin and Charizard exasperate huff was told her what she needed to know. With a sigh, she grabbed him by the arm. “Come on.”

“I’ll see you all again soon and you all a wonderful Champion Time!” Leon called out to the dispersing crowd as Sonia dragged him away.

Way at the back, Red sighed in relief that he hasn’t been found out. Though Leon’s presence here solidified his theory that the Gym Leaders know that Heiwa’s Champion is in Galar. He was starting to regret agreeing coming here for holiday, especially since he had to stay incognito which was tiring. But the desire to challenge the Galar League, even if unofficially, and get new Pokemon was stronger.

But the lady from just now, Sonia, and Leon are heading towards the Research Center where he was supposed to go too. And they’ve just given him a general idea of where he should go.

He huffed and shared a grin with his starter who hopped off his shoulder. “Come on Pikachu!”

“Pikachu!”

* * *

At the Pokemon Research Center, Professor Magnolia was preparing for Red’s arrival while Leon and Sonia caught up. She looked up when Sonia gasped loudly.

“You mean Red, the Champion of Heiwa, the one from the Millennium Tournament, is visiting Galar!?”

Professor Magnolia sighed at Leon’s incapability to keep quiet about anything thanks to his dramatic streak. “Leon, you can’t simply tell anyone about this. Arata specifically instructed you not to.”

Leon was chastened by Professor Magnolia’s scolding. Belatedly, he remembered that Red is trying not to attract any attention, especially from Chairman Rose. For some reason, Arata’s very distrustful of his boss and once voiced his concerns that Rose might be a sociopath to him. Leon has no idea how to respond to that. He chalked it up to Arata being overly paranoid because of his past with Team Dawn but part of him knows that Arata is right to be concern over Chairman Rose’s treatment of him.

While he keeps in touch with his fellow Champion turned Elite Four member, he didn’t have any other interactions with the Heiwa League officials as Arata and Governor Avaris did their best to avoid anything that Rose tried to set up with them.

A knock on the door made them jump.

“Hello, I’m here to see Professor Magnolia!”

“That would be him.” Professor Magnolia got up to get the door. And she was greeted by the red capped trainer with a Pikachu with him. “You must be Red. Come in.”

“Thank you. I presume you are Professor Magnolia then?” Red thanked her as he was ushered in. Pikachu went over to Yamper and greeted it by touching its tail with its own. Yamper barked in delight and chased Pikachu around.

“Indeed.” She waved at her granddaughter and Leon on the catwalk. “That is my granddaughter Sonia and Leon, Champion of the region.”

Red nodded at Sonia and straight up grinned at Leon, which was returned. Professor Magnolia continued on. “I already have a Rotom Phone ready for you. The Pokedex function is already installed in it.” She gave Red a phone which he curiously took. Instantly, a Rotom shot out of nowhere and entered the phone. The Professor smiled at Red’s apparent amazement.

“It’s just like Alola’s Pokedex.” Red mused, remembering his friends in Alola using a Rotom Pokedex.

“Yes, but I find it easier to use a phone with the Pokedex program installed in it can use more functions than a normal Pokedex.” Professor Magnolia explained. The Rotom Phone booted up and floated around Red’s head. “Ask it to scan Yamper there.”

“Ok…Rotom, scan Yamper.”

_“Yamper. The Puppy Pokemon. This Pokémon is very popular as a herding dog in the Galar region. As it runs, it generates electricity from the base of its tail.”_

“Yamper huh?”

“Yamper is my Pokemon.” Sonia explained as she and Leon came down. She planted her hands on her waist. “Welcome to Galar.”

“Thanks.”

Leon grinned at Red and extended his hand. “As the Galar Champion, I welcome you to our humble region.”

“Thank you.” Red shook Leon’s hand with a firm grip. “Arata told me a lot about you. You and your Charizard are powerful.”

Leon’s grin only grew. “And Arata told me that Pikachu of yours is not to be underestimated too.”

“So what are your plans for your vacation here?” Sonia interjected before Leon could issue a challenge to Red.

Red shrugged at that. “I’m very flexible on that. I was planning to go to the Wild Area to check out the Pokemon there then visit the Gyms for unofficial matches.”

“Sounds like a solid plan. But before you go, why don’t we have a battle?” Leon suggested, making Professor Magnolia sigh and Sonia roll her eyes. Red merely raised an eyebrow.

“And where would we have that battle? Wedgehurst knows that you are here. Any battle will draw a crowd. People who were paying attention to the Millennium Tournament will recognize me and swarm me wherever I go, which is the opposite of my plans.”

“We can battle at Postwick. My home has a private battlefield.”

Red’s grin slowly grew. “I can do that. But I only have Pikachu with me at the moment. I could ask Arata to send over some of mine…”

“No need. We can just have a one-on-one warm up battle. My Charizard against your Pikachu. When you’re done challenging the Gyms, we can have a full battle.”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

“Well now, if you boys are done with your Pokemon battle plans, I still need to explain Dynamax to Red.” Professor Magnolia pointedly cut in, making Leon rub the back of his head sheepishly and Red struggling not to laugh. Turning back to Red, she explained, “Pokemon Dynamaxing is a unique phenomenon which increases a Pokémon's size drastically, as well as changing the moves of the Pokémon and increasing their HP in battle but can only be done in Power Spots. I theorized that Dynamaxed Pokémon distorts space to change its size while affecting the world around them. In the Wild Area, Power Spots are dens where there are Dynamaxed Pokemon that you can battle or capture.”

“There is also Gigantamax, a special kind of Dynamax but changes the appearance of the Pokemon. And only certain Pokemon species are able to do Gigantamax.” Sonia chimed in.

“My Charizard can Gigantamax.” Leon added in.

“ _However_ ,” Professor Magnolia stressed, “Dynamax is impossible for ordinary trainers to achieve without a Dynamax band with a Wishing Stone. In battle, you need to return your Pokemon into its Pokeball and the Dynamax Band will fill the Pokeball with the energy needed to Dynamax. Then toss the ball back into the field.”

Red winced at the explanation and scratched Pikachu’s ears when it hopped back on his shoulders. “That might be a problem for Pikachu. He hates going back into his ball.”

Pikachu’s ears dropped down in shame for letting his dislike of his ball get in the way of Dynamaxing. Red was quick to reassure his best friend. “Don’t worry about it, buddy. We’ll make do. We always find a way.” That seemed to cheer Pikachu up. Leon, Sonia and Professor Magnolia only smiled fondly at their interaction. There was no doubt that the two of them had a strong bond and a close friendship.

“That does not mean that any other Pokemon you catch won’t be able to Dynamax.” Professor Magnoila pointed out. “And I happen to have a spare Dynamax Band that you can use while you are in Galar.”

_‘That easy?’_ Red thought with a small sweatdrop. From what Arata was saying about her, he thought it would be a bit harder to convince her.

“Now you’re all set!” Leon clapped Red in the back, making him stumble slightly and nearly dislodging Pikachu. “Now come on, off to Postwick we go! I can’t wait to see your Pikachu in action.”

“Mind if I come along?” Sonia suddenly poked Leon’s shoulder. “It’s not every day you see two Champions battle each other.”

“The more the merrier. I’ll fly ahead and let my mom know you’re coming.” Leon waved as he left the lab.

“At least Charizard is the one flying him. There’s no way it’ll get lost…unlike Leon.” Sonia muttered under her breath which Professor Magnolia nodded in agreement to.

The professor reached into a drawer and took out a Dynamax Band which she handed to Red. “Here is the Dynamax Band. I hope you will put it to good use.”

“Thanks Professor Magnolia. I will.” Red promised as he fastened the band around his wrist. He could feel himself grinning with Pikachu. Their adventure was on the right track, they got the Galarian Pokedex and the Dynamax Band, and they are going to have a battle with Leon. He can’t wait to battle Leon’s Charizard and see why he is the Unbeatable Champion.


End file.
